The Reddmen - White Omega

Tracks

 * 1.	Turn Back for a Byrd 01:30
 * 2.	My Degeneration 01:09
 * 3.	Short Coming Queen 02:09
 * 4.	White Omega 02:54
 * 5.	Transylvania Blood Drive 02:00
 * 6.	Cordially Blue 02:12
 * 7.	Paper Aviator 02:14
 * 8.	Town of Tears 02:34
 * 9.	Why are You Always On? 01:37
 * 10.	Where Bruises Bloom 01:28
 * 11.	Vixen Red Velvet 02:21
 * 12.	Something for the Mrs. 02:13
 * 13.	Girls Born in '84 02:03
 * 14.	Psycho Cherokee Preacher Man 01:47

© 2007 Fluorescent Brown Publishing (BMI) Except #11 by David Copeland.

Review
I’ve never really been sure if The Reddmen play pop-punk songs or punk-pop songs. But whichever it is, there’s always been something more to the Rapid City trio’s tightly packed music. Listen closely and you hear bits of the blues, and occasionally, you can hear the muffled sound of an arena rock classic trying to kick its way out of the locked trunk. On its new album, “White Omega,” the band cranks the power pop up a notch, though, and comes closer than ever to letting its inner pop star take center stage. The influences here make up a laundry list of some of the best pop, punk and power pop artists known to humankind—Nirvana, Foo Fighters, the Pixies, Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys. Lyrically, The Reddmen owe a debt to Nirvana here — even if a line in the title track claims that “Nevermind is just an album that I listen to”—but musically, “White Omega” is the spiritual descendant of the Foo Fighters’ debut album. That said, Dave Grohl only wishes he could still make an album like this. “White Omega” hits its stride with the Cobain-ian guitar solo of “Transylvania Blood Drive,” and segues into the jangly harmonies of “Cordially Blue,” which recalls the Foo Fighters’ 1996 hit “Big Me.” The band — J. Waylon Porcupine, Miyo One Arrow and Trevor Leo — ratchets up the melodic tension again on “Paper Aviator,” then releases it halfway through the following song, “Town of Tears,” and rides the momentum through the cathartic “Why Are You Always On?” “White Omega” follows last year’s split LP with Denver band Eyes and Ears. Before that, the band released the stellar full-lengths “Arsenic Ballads” (2006) and “Sons of the Morning Star” (2003). The Reddmen’s four-song contribution last year to the split LP seems to pack a harder punch than most of “White Omega.” That’s not to say the new album isn’t as good, though. “White Omega” tends to melody and harmony over sheer impact, and by tipping its sonic balance just a bit, the band shakes up its sound just enough to make us think ahead to what could come next. Follow The Reddmen on MySpace at www.myspace.com/ thereddmen. 
 * White Omega - The Reddmen by Eric Lockridge/Rapid City Journal